Abstract
BackgroundTissue heterogeneity significantly influences the overall saccharification efficiency of plant biomass. However, the mechanisms of specific organ or tissue recalcitrance to enzymatic deconstruction are generally complicated and unclear. A multidimensional analysis of the anatomical fraction from 12 corn cultivars was conducted to understand the essence of recalcitrance.ResultsThe results showed that leaf, leaf sheath, stem pith and stem rind of corn straw exhibited remarkable heterogeneity in chemical composition, physical structure and cell type, which resulted in the different saccharification ratio of cellulose. The high saccharification ratio ranging from 21.47 to 38.96% was in stem pith, whereas the low saccharification ratio ranging from 17.1 to 27.43% was in leaf sheath. High values of lignin, hemicelluloses, degree of polymerization and crystallinity index were critical for the increased recalcitrance, while high value of neutral detergent soluble and pore size generated weak recalcitrance. Interestingly, pore traits of cell wall, especial for microcosmic interface structure, seemed to be a crucial factor that correlated to cellulase adsorption and further affected saccharification.ConclusionsHighly heterogeneity in cell wall traits influenced the overall saccharification efficiency of biomass. Furthermore, the holistic outlook of cell wall interface was indispensable to understand the recalcitrance and promote the biomass conversion.Graphic abstract
Highlights
Tissue heterogeneity significantly influences the overall saccharification efficiency of plant biomass
This paper focused on understanding the recalcitrance of cell wall interface, which will help in selecting of corn varieties with improved biorefining capabilities and setting downstream pretreatment
The compiled data revealed that the heterogeneity in structure and physicochemical properties of cell wall were distinct among organs or tissues of Corn straw (CS), and significantly correlated to the recalcitrance
Summary
Tissue heterogeneity significantly influences the overall saccharification efficiency of plant biomass. Lignocellulosic biomass refers to the biological feedstocks, mainly including agricultural products, forestry wastes, and Enzyme-catalyzed saccharification of cellulose is the most optimal approach, yet, the efficiency in this process is commonly hampered by various factors. A further complication is that the complexity commonly causes empirically implemented enzymatic saccharification process and drastic pretreatment for recalcitrance more than necessary [8]. This immense heterogeneity is considered as the chief reason why the precise mechanisms of recalcitrance are still ambiguous and closely influence the optimal choice of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis strategy. It is seemingly difficult to systematically compare these qualities to evaluate the intrinsic recalcitrance among different feedstocks due to the heterogeneity, especially for different studies
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